Row Over Omar Abdullah's "Life Support" Jab: INDIA Divided, BJP Has A Laugh

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah's strong remarks on the INDIA opposition bloc, in which he said the alliance is on "life support, have raised a political storm. Some allies of Abdullah's National Conference scoffed at his remarks; others agreed, and the BJP chuckled.

During an interaction at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit here, Abdullah spoke about the problems ailing the INDIA bloc. "We're sort of on life support, but every once in a while, somebody brings out his paddles and gives us a bit of a shock, and we get up again. But then, unfortunately, results like Bihar happen, and we slump down again, and then somebody has to wheel us into the ICU."

In a politically significant remark, Abdullah said he believes that the INDIA bloc "pushed Nitish Kumar back into the arms of the NDA". He also pointed to the alliance's failure to include the Hemant Soren-led Jharkhand Mukti Morcha in the Bihar seat-sharing arrangement, despite the party having a presence in some pockets of the state.

Manoj Jha, RJD's Rajya Sabha MP, has responded sharply to Abdullah's remarks. "People comment hastily in adverse circumstances, but one should avoid doing so. Everything is in the hands of the public. If the alliance is on life support, Omar is also a part of the alliance. What are his attempts to revive it? This is not about one political party; it is the responsibility of all members. Responsibility does not end with taunting," Jha told news agency PTI.

Congress MP Manoj Kumar said Omar Abdullah is firmly with the INDIA alliance. "Omar is our alliance partner. Sometimes people raise questions. He is in the India Alliance. If he finds something lacking, he is saying so that our alliance remains stronger. He will not go to the BJP, he is with us. People of Jammu and Kashmir trust Rahul Gandhi. That is why Omar Abdullah got a big victory in Jammu and Kashmir," he said. In the Jammu and Kashmir polls last year, the first after the state became a Union Territory and its special status was revoked, the Omar Abdullah-led National Conference won 42 seats and the Congress six.

The BJP, meanwhile, is having a laugh over the lack of cohesion in the opposition bloc. Senior party leader Shahnawaz Hussain said, "Omar Abdullah is wrong. INDI alliance is not on life support; it has died. INDI Alliance ended after the Lok Sabha election. A tribute should be paid to it. It has neither leader nor policy," he said.